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I don't see anything that's come out on WikiLeaks that was a legitimate secret.
Noam Chomsky
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Chomsky implies that the information released by WikiLeaks lacks true confidential status.

Noam Chomsky's quote highlights his skepticism regarding the nature of the leaks provided by WikiLeaks, suggesting that they do not expose any genuine secrets but rather information that is already known or not truly hidden. This reflects on the relationship between public knowledge, government transparency, and the nature of secrets in politics.

Themes

WikileaksSecretsTruthGovernmentInformation

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about transparency, one might say, 'As Noam Chomsky wisely noted, I don't see anything that's come out on WikiLeaks that was a legitimate secret.'

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There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
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The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
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If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
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The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
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There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
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